Total body strengthening and toning workstation and method of using same

ABSTRACT

A stand-alone exercise apparatus includes a seat to support a user in a position thereon, and upper and lower body exercising assemblies which are configured for activation either sequentially of simultaneously to permit the concurrent exercising movement of his or her upper body area and lower body leg muscles, respectively, without necessitating that the user stop exercising when switching from upper body exercises to lower body exercises. The lower body exercising assembly includes a lower frame assembly which is operable to provide resistance exercise to the user&#39;s leg muscles, and which includes a selectively reciprocally movable pedal, platform or bar which is coupled to a suitable resistance mechanism and which is engageable by the user&#39;s feet and/or legs as they are moved together in unified movement to effect leg extensions or curls. The upper body exercising assembly includes one or more reciprocally movable frame members, hand pulleys or swing arms coupled to a resistance mechanism, and which are engageable by the user&#39;s hands and/or arms. The resistance mechanisms used to provide the selected resistance to the upper and lower exercising assemblies are operable independently from each other, and enable the user to select the degree of resistance to each of the upper and lower body exercising assemblies separately.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/630,208, filed Nov. 24, 2004, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. 119(e).

SCOPE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an exercise apparatus for providing a toning exercise movement, and more particularly an exercise apparatus which is operable by a user to simultaneously achieve toning exercise of the user's arms, legs and abdominal muscles, while the user's feet are moved in unified movement to effect either leg extensions and/or leg curls.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The use of weight stacks as adjustable resistance mechanisms in health club exercise machines is well known. Typically, weight stacks consist of a number of 2 to 10 kg steel plates which are slidably mounted so as to be selectively raised and lowered within a support frame. A release pin is used to couple a selected number of weight plates to a lift rod, which in turn is connected by a cable/pulley arrangement to a movable frame or pedal used to provide body exercise. In this manner, as the frame or pedal is moved by a user, the lift rod is raised together with the selected number of weight plates, so as to provide the user with the desired degree of exercise resistance.

Conventional commercial exercise machines suffer a disadvantage in that typically, they are configured to work only a single specific set of muscles in isolation, with a view to developing strength and building muscle tissue bulk in the specific muscle group. In this regard, conventional exercise machines are constructed with a movable frame or pedal coupled to a single weight stack, and which in operation is movable to permit the user to provide resistance exercise to only a single muscle group, such as his or her biceps or quadriceps.

As conventional commercial exercise equipment stresses the isolation exercise of individual target muscles, it has been necessary for fitness clubs to purchase a number of separate exercise machines, each tailored to permit a user to exercise a specific upper or lower muscle group. The exercising of single muscle groups by such equipment, while beneficial to individuals who wish to add muscular bulk in strength training exercises, is less desirable to users who wish to achieve overall improved muscle toning within a limited time. In addition, conventional exercise equipment does not lend itself to the benefits of fuller body exercises, which encourage muscle coordination and the development of core muscles, such as abdominal muscles, and better replicate everyday life or sport. In addition, performing repetitions on one body part on one muscle group for an extended time can be fairly monotonous, and typically no opportunities exist to easily “mix up” exercises that involve upper body and lower body. The applicant has appreciated that increased variety during exercise advantageously enhances the enjoyment of use of the equipment, encouraging the user to exercise longer during each visit. In addition to the increased cost and space requirements associated with purchasing a number of different exercise machines, conventional exercise apparatus suffer the disadvantage in that more time is required for users to complete a full exercise regime.

Certain exercise equipment manufacturers have proposed “multi-function” or universal exercise machines which use a series of pulleys to connect both movable upper and lower body exercising frames to a single weight stack. Such machines are most frequently marketed for in-home use, and continue to suffer the disadvantage that they are adapted to provide resistance exercise to only a single muscle group at any one time. Typically, conventional “multi-function” exercise machines necessitate that the user physically reposition one or more tensioning bands, release pins or pulleys, to selectively connect and disconnect upper and lower equipment frames when switching between upper and lower body exercises, and like existing commercial machines, focus on the exercise of single muscle groups at any one time as part of a comprehensive weight training regime.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention seeks to provide a resistance training machine that combines both upper and lower body exercising assemblies which are operable to enable the simultaneous toning exercise of the user's upper and lower body muscles.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an exercise machine and method of its use, which includes separately actuable upper and lower pulleys, pedals, movable frames or arm members, or the like (hereinafter generally referred to as exercising assemblies) which when simultaneously engaged by the user's legs and arms in exercising movement, concurrently exercise the user's upper and lower body muscles, and more preferably, his or her core abdominal muscles, to provide the user with more efficient full body exercise, enabling a fuller body toning workout within a comparably limited time.

A further preferred object of the invention is to provide a commercial grade exercise machine which is adapted to be set up and used as a free standing or stand-alone exercise workstation, and which is configured for use to either simultaneously or sequentially exercise a user's arm and leg muscles in toning exercise.

Another object of the invention is to provide a stand-alone exercise workstation which includes both upper and lower body exercising assemblies which are operable by a user to achieve a simultaneous toning resistance exercise of the user's arm, leg and core muscle groups, and which in a most preferred embodiment includes two or more independently operable weight stacks as a resistance mechanism.

A further object of the invention is to provide an exercise apparatus which is adapted for the simultaneous or sequential toning exercise of a user's arms and leg muscle groups, and which includes as part of a lower body exercising assembly, a movable lower frame member which is engageable by the user's feet and/or legs in a unified movement to effect either leg extensions or leg presses.

In a simplified construction, the present invention provides an exercise apparatus which includes a bench or seat to support a user in a position seated or reclined thereon. The apparatus includes upper and lower body exercising assemblies which are configured for activation simultaneously and/or sequentially to permit the user to effect exercising movement of his or her upper body area and lower body leg muscles, respectively, without necessitating that the user stop exercising and manually repositioning pins, pulleys, belts or the like when switching from upper body exercises to lower body exercises. In one possible construction, the lower body exercising assembly includes a lower frame assembly which is operable to provide resistance exercise to the user's leg muscles. The lower frame assembly may, for example, include a selectively reciprocally movable pedal, platform or bar which is coupled to a suitable resistance mechanism and which is engageable by the user's feet and/or legs. Most preferably, the lower frame assembly is configured for engagement by both of the user's feet and/or legs simultaneously as the user's legs are moved together in unified movement to effect either leg presses, extensions and/or leg curls. The upper body exercising assembly is preferably selectively actuable by the user extending and/or retracting his or her arms. In one possible construction, the upper body exercising assembly includes one or more reciprocally movable frame members or swing arms which are coupled to a resistance mechanism and which are engageable by the user's hands and/or arms. Alternately, the apparatus could incorporate selectively actuable hand pulleys which include hand grips secured to the end of pulley wires.

The resistance mechanism used to provide the desired degree of resistance to the upper and lower exercising assemblies are most preferably operable independently from each other, and enable the user to select the degree of resistance to each of the upper and lower body exercising assemblies separately. With this construction, the desired degree of resistance for leg exercises may be pre-selected by the user, independently from the resistance to be used for toning upper body exercise. This furthermore advantageously allows the user to operate the upper and lower body exercising assemblies both simultaneously to effect the concurrent resistance exercise of his or her arm and leg muscle groups or alternately sequentially or independently to provide a more varied workout.

Suitable resistance mechanisms to be used with the present invention include arrays of one or more resiliently bendable rods, resiliently deformable elastomeric bands, weight stacks, or other such suitable devices, and which would be suitable to permit either the alternating sequential and/or simultaneous exercising of upper and lower body muscle groups, including without restriction, the user's leg, back, abdominal and/or arm muscles. In a simplified construction, the apparatus incorporates a weight stack assembly as a resistance mechanism which includes a number of vertically displaceable metal plates. The weight stack assembly is coupled to both the lower body exercising assembly and the upper body exercising assembly, such that different groupings of weight plates may be pre-selected by the user for upper and lower body exercise. Following the selection of the desired amount of resistance, the upper and lower frame assemblies are concurrently or sequentially actuated, to raise and lower the selected plates as the user performs arm and leg exercises. In one possible embodiment, the weight stack assembly may include at least two independently operable weight stacks which operate by way of lift rods, and which are each independently coupled by a respective cable/pulley assembly to the upper body exercising assembly and the lower body exercising assembly, provide the user-selected desired degree of resistance. This construction advantageously enables the user to quickly and easily lift different combinations of weight plates in the simultaneous exercising of different muscle groups, without requiring the repositioning of weight stack release pins interrupting the flow of repetitions during a set or between sets.

The lift rods extend vertically through an associated array of aligned apertures formed through the weight plates. The upper end of the lift rods is coupled via respective cable/pulley assembly or other suitable linkage to movable frame members of the exercise apparatus used to provide exercise movement to the user's arms and legs. In this manner, the activation of the exercise apparatus frame members selectively raises and lower the lift rod associated therewith, providing resistive tension. Each weight stack preferably includes one or more release pins used in selecting the weight of resistance to be provided. The pins are insertable into selected grooves, notches or recesses formed in a surface of each weight plate, and have a length chosen so as to extend into and engage a selected retention hole formed in the lift rod aligned therewith. The engagement of the release pins with the associated lift rod hole couples the pin, together with each of the weight plates stacked thereabove, to its associated lift rod for movement therewith.

The applicant has appreciated that concurrent resistance exercise of both upper arm and lower leg muscle groups advantageously also effects toning exercise of the user's bridging abdominal muscles. Abdominal muscle exercises are furthermore enhanced and optimized when the lower body leg muscles are exercised by effecting leg extensions or leg presses, with the user's legs moved together in unified movement.

The applicant has appreciated that the invention is operable to provide toning exercise, as contrasted with isolation weight training exercise which is used primarily to increase muscular bulk. In this regard, the individual weight stacks used to provide resistance may be made comparatively lighter than those found on conventional exercise machines adapted to achieve isolated muscle exercise. Most preferably, the weight stack assembly is configured to provide a greater weight resistance to the lower body exercising assembly which is actuable by the user's legs, than compared with the weight resistance provided to the upper body exercising assembly used to provide arm exercise. In a preferred embodiment, the individual weight stack used to provide resistance to a lower frame assembly may be selected to provide a range of resistance forces of less than about 300 lbs, preferably less than about 250 lbs, and more preferably less than about 200 lbs. Similarly, the weight stack used to provide resistance to the upper body exercising assembly for upper body exercise, may be made comparatively smaller and provide a preferred maximum resistance force of less than about 250 lbs, and more preferably about less than a maximum of 150 lbs. The comparatively smaller weight stacks of the present invention furthermore advantageously enable the exercise apparatus to be made lighter as a stand-alone machine and smaller than conventional isolation exercising equipment, thereby providing the apparatus with an overall smaller footprint, and minimizing the square footage operational cost to health club purchasers.

The invention is operable by a user to undertake a full body toning workout by either simultaneously exercising both upper and lower body muscle groups or by alternating upper and lower body exercises. In a most preferred mode of operation, in use, the user initially pre-selects the desired resistance forces to be used with both the upper body exercising assembly and the lower body exercising assembly. Once the desired resistance is chosen, the user sits or reclines on the bench or seat in a position so that the upper body exercising assembly is engaged by his or her hands or arms, with the movable frame member of the lower body exercising assembly engaged by his or her feet and/or legs. The movable lower body frame member is reciprocally moved between a first rest position to a second biased position against the pre-selected resistance of the first weight stack displaced from the rest position by the user performing leg extensions or leg presses with the user's legs moved together in unison, with the resistance forces of the resistance mechanism returning the frame member from its biased position.

Most preferably, simultaneously with the movement of the lower body exercising frame, the upper body exercising apparatus is actuated. The upper body frame member or pulleys are reciprocally moved by the user's arms and/or hands against the resistance forces of the second weight stack between a first rest position and a second biased position spaced therefrom. As the respective lower frame and upper body frames are used simultaneously to exercise the user's arms and legs, the simultaneous operation of the upper and lower frames enables the user to undertake a more full body toning workout. The concurrent activation of the upper and lower body frame members achieves exercise of not only the user's arm and leg muscles in isolation, but also the user's bridging abdominal and back muscles. As such, the present invention advantageously may be used with lower weight levels than compared to conventional strength training equipment, reducing the risk of injury and permitting a greater number of repetitions that provide muscle toning, without rapidly adding muscular bulk.

Accordingly, in one aspect the present invention resides in an exercise apparatus for providing toning exercising movement of a user's upper and lower body muscle groups, the apparatus including,

a seat for supporting the user in a seated position thereon,

a lower frame assembly actuable to exercise leg muscles of said user, the lower frame assembly being selectively reciprocally movable from a first rest position to a second displaced position, and including a leg support having support surfaces which are engageable by a portion of both of said user's legs or feet, whereby engagement of the support surfaces by said user's legs or feet as said user's legs are symmetrically extended or retracted together in unison moves the lower frame assembly between said first rest and second displaced positions,

a first resistance mechanism coupled to said lower frame assembly and operable to selectively vary resistance to movement of the lower frame assembly,

an arm exercising assembly actuable to exercise arm muscles of said user, said arm exercising assembly including at least one reciprocally movable member, the at least one reciprocally movable member being reciprocally movable by the engagement of at least one of said user's arms or hands between an initial rest position and a subsequent displaced position,

a second resistance mechanism coupled to said arm exercising assembly and operable to selectively vary resistance to movement of said arm exercising assembly independently from said first resistance mechanism, whereby said lower frame assembly and said arm exercising assembly may be operated in at least one of simultaneous or alternating sequential movement

In another aspect, the present invention resides in an exercise apparatus for simultaneous toning of a user's arm, abdominal and leg muscles including,

a seat for supporting the user in a forward facing seated position,

a lower frame assembly actuable to provide exercising movement to said user's leg muscles, the lower frame assembly being reciprocally movable between a first rest position and a second displaced position, and including a leg support positioned for simultaneous symmetrical engagement by each of said user's legs and feet with said user's legs in substantially juxtaposed unison alignment, the leg support being actuable in movement by movement of said user's legs between extended and retracted positions to move the lower frame assembly between said first and second displaced positions,

a first resistance mechanism coupled to said lower frame assembly and actuable to selectively vary resistance to movement of the lower frame assembly,

an upper body exercising assembly actuable to provide exercising movement to said user's arm muscles, said upper body exercising assembly including at a reciprocally movable member which is movable by said user's arms between an initial rest position and a subsequent displaced position,

a second resistance mechanism coupled to said arm exercising member and operable to selectively vary resistance to movement of said arm exercising assembly independently from said first resistance mechanism, and

wherein said exercise apparatus comprises a free standing unitary workstation having a sub-frame, each of said lower frame assembly, said upper body exercising assembly and said first and second resistance mechanisms being coupled to said sub-frame.

In a further aspect, the present invention resides in an exercise apparatus for providing simultaneous toning exercising movement of a user's arm, abdominal and leg muscle groups, the apparatus including,

a seat for supporting the user in a seated position thereon,

a leg exercising assembly actuable to exercise quadricep, hip or glutius muscles of said user's right and left legs in substantially unified movement, and including a leg support which is engageable by both of said user's legs and/or feet, said leg support being selectively reciprocally movable from a first rest position to a second displaced position, whereby engagement of the leg support by said user's legs and/or feet as said user's legs are moved together in symmetrical movement actuates the leg support in movement between said first rest and second displaced positions,

a first resistance mechanism coupled to said lower frame assembly and operable to selectively vary resistance to movement of the leg support,

an arm exercising assembly actuable to exercise arm muscles of said user's right and left arms in substantially unified movement, said arm exercising assembly including a pair of hand grips which in the activation of the arm exercising assembly are reciprocally movable by engagement of said user's arms and/or hands between an initial rest position and a subsequent displaced position,

a second resistance mechanism coupled to said arm exercising assembly and operable independently from said first resistance mechanism to selectively vary resistance to movement of said hand grips, and whereby said leg exercising assembly and said arm exercising assembly are operable simultaneously to move said leg support from said first rest position to said second displaced position while said hand grips move from said initial rest position to said subsequent displaced position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference may now be had to the following detailed description taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 shows schematically a stand-alone exercise machine in accordance with a first embodiment of the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 show the exercise machine of FIG. 1 in operation with a user seated thereon;

FIG. 4 illustrates a weight stack assembly for use in the apparatus of FIG. 1, with weight stacks for upper and lower body exercise assemblies in an initial rest position;

FIG. 5 illustrates the weight stack assembly of FIG. 4 in operation of the apparatus, with weight stacks moved in the concurrent operation of the upper and lower body exercise assemblies in unison;

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of an exercise apparatus in accordance with a second embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 7 shows a side view of the exercise apparatus of FIG. 6 showing its operation with a user seated thereon; and

FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of an exercise apparatus in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is first made to FIG. 1 which illustrates schematically an exercise machine 10 which, as will be described, is operable to effect simultaneous toning exercise movement of a user's 12 (FIG. 2) upper, lower and abdominal muscle groups. The exercise machine 10 is provided with a seating/support frame assembly 14, a lower body exercising assembly 16, an upper body exercising assembly 18, a weight stack assembly 20 and a pair of cable/pulley assemblies 22,24.

The seating/support frame assembly 14 is shown best in FIGS. 1 and 2 as including a base 30 and a seat 32. The base 30 is formed as a square tubular steel frame and has mounted thereto each of the lower body exercise assembly 16, the upper body exercising assembly 18, the weight stack assembly 20 and the cable/pulley assemblies 22,24. The base 30 has a foot-print selected to provide stability to the machine 10 as a unitary stand-alone unit in a health club or the like. The seat 32 is provided to support the user 12 in a seated and more preferably partially reclined position thereon, in a position which allows the user 12 to simultaneously or sequentially actuate both the lower body exercising assembly 16 and the upper body exercising assembly 18. As will be described, although not essential, the seat 32 is most preferably coupled to the base 30 by means of a pair of vertical seat supports 34, so as to be pivotable in a front-to-back direction, about a horizontal axis A₁-A₁ (FIG. 1).

FIG. 1 shows best the lower body exercising assembly 16 as including a pivot bar 40, which is mounted to the base 30 forwardly from the seat 32, by means of a vertically extending connecting support 43 which in turn is welded to the lower base 30 of the machine 10. The pivot bar 40 is connected to the support 43 by a selectively rotatable mount 44. The mount 44 is coupled to the weight stack assembly 20 via the cable/pulley assembly 22. The mount 44 is further configured to be selectively journaled in rotation against the resistance forces applied by the weight stack assembly about a horizontal pivot axis A_(p)-A_(p) which extends parallel to axis A₁-A₁, through 30 to 120° of movement. Most preferably, the mount 44 is configured to permit the pivot bar 40 to be reciprocally rotated by the extension and retraction of the user's legs 102 (FIG. 2) through approximately a 30 to 90° arc of movement, between a first rest position shown in FIG. 2 in solid lines, and a second biased position shown in phantom. In a conventional manner, the resilient bias applied by the weight stack assembly 20, returns the pivot bar 40 to the rest position against the exercise forces applied by the user's legs 102. The pivot bar 40 is generally “L-shaped” and includes an elongated padded contact arm 46. The padded arm 46 extends horizontally in a direction spaced from, and generally parallel to the pivot axis A_(p)-A_(p) so as to be engageable by the shins of both of the user's legs 102, simultaneously, when the user 12 is in a position seated for exercise on the seat 32. Most preferably, the padded arm 46 is positioned to provide exercising resistance to the user's quadricep and lower body leg muscles, in the performance of leg extensions.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show best the upper body exercising assembly 18 used to provide toning body exercise to the user's arms 104 (FIG. 2) and upper body muscle groups. The upper body exercising assembly 18 includes a vertically displaceable frame member 50 which is secured to a vertical support 52. The support 52 extends upwardly from the base 30 from a position rearward of the seat 32, to position the frame member 50 above the user 12 when seated thereon. The frame member 50 is pivotally connected to the support 52 by way of a suitable pivot mount 54, so as to be movable from an initial raised rest position shown in solid lines in FIG. 3 to a lowered biased position shown in phantom. As will be described, displaceable frame member 50 is coupled to the weight stack assembly 20 via cable/pulley assembly 24, so as to be movable between the rest and lowered positions against resistance forces supplied thereby. Preferably, the resistance forces supplied by the weight stack assembly 20 act to resiliently bias the frame member 50 to return to the rest position. The vertically displaceable frame member 50 is provided with a pair of handle grips 56 a,56 b. The vertical support 52 has a height selected, and the frame member 50 is configured such that when in the initial rest position, the handle grips 56 a,56 b are positioned generally above axis A₁-A₁ spaced immediately above the user's head. With this configuration when initially positioned seated on the seat 32, as shown in FIG. 2 in use of the exercise apparatus 10, the frame member 50 may be gripped by the user 12 and reciprocally moved about the pivot mount 54, between the initial raised rest position and a lowered biased position, to effect arm 104 and upper body muscle exercise.

The weight stack assembly 20 is configured to permit either the alternating sequential, or more preferably, the simultaneous concurrent operation of the upper and lower body exercising assemblies 16,18. FIGS. 4 and 5 show best the weight stack assembly 20 as including a pair of independently operable weight stacks 60 a,60 b. Each of the weight stacks 60 consists of a number of steel weight plates 62 which are slidably mounted for selective vertical movement along a respective pair of tubular frame rails 64. The tubular frame rails 64 of each weight stack 60 a,60 b are each coupled to the base 30, so as to provide the exercise machine 10 with its stand-alone construction. Preferably, the weight plates 62 furthermore have side apertures 65 formed therethrough which are sized to receive therein a respective one of the rails 64. It is to be appreciated, however, that other configurations supporting the weight plates 62 as a selectively movable, stacked vertical array may also be used and will be apparent. The weight stacks 60 a,60 b are shown best in FIG. 4 as each further including an elongated selectively actuable lift rod 66 a,66 b, which extends vertically through a central aperture 68 formed in the centre of each of the weight plates 62 of each stack 60 a,60 b. The lift rods 66 a,66 b have provided along their length a longitudinally extending array of apertures 70 (FIG. 5). In a conventional manner, the apertures 70 of each lift rod 66,66 b are respectively engageable by a release pin 72 used to couple a desired number of plates 62 to each lift rod 66, depending upon the desired weight of resistance. The lift rods 66 a and 66 b are in turn coupled to a respective cable/pulley assembly 20 a,20 b.

As shown best in FIG. 1, the lift rod 66 a of the weight plate stack 60 a is connected via the cable/pulley assembly 22 to the rotatable mount 44 to resiliently bias and return the pivot bar 40 to the initial rest position. In addition, the user 12 may simply and easily select the desired degree of resistance forces to the rotation of the pivot bar 40 to be used. In a similar manner, the lift rod 66 b of the weight plate stack 60 b is connected to the vertically replaceable frame member 50 by means of cable/pulley 24, to resiliently bias the frame member 50 to the initial raised position. The apparatus 10 enables the user 12 to select the desired degree of resistance to the movement of the member 50 independently from the amount of resistance provided by the weight stack 60 a to the rotation of the pivot bar 40, by using the pins 72 to couple the desired number of weight plates 32 to each respective rod 66 a,66 b.

In this manner, the weight stack 60 a is used to provide the selected degree of resistance forces to the rotational movement of the mount 44 and padded arm 46 in the exercising movement of the user's legs 102. Similarly, the weight stack 60 b is operable independently of the weight stack 60 a to provide a selected degree of resistance forces to the movement of vertically displaceable frame member 50 in use of the exercise machine 10 to exercise the user's arm and upper body muscles.

Because the exercise apparatus 10 is primarily intended for a toning workout, as contrasted with increasing muscular bulk, the weight stack assembly 20 may be made lighter and more compact than compared with those found in conventional exercise machines which are adapted to provide isolated muscle exercise. In this regard, the weight stack 60 a used to provide resistance to the lower body exercising assembly 16 is preferably slightly larger than the weight stack 60 b. In a simplified construction, the weight stack 60 a includes a number of weight plates 62 selected to provide a preferred maximum leg resistance force of less than 300 lbs., and more preferably less than about 250 lbs. Similarly, the weight stack 60 b may be provided with a reduced number of weight plates 62, providing a preferred maximum resistance force of less than about 200 lbs., and preferably less than about 150 lbs. It is to be appreciated, however, that weight stacks of greater or lesser total weight may also be used, depending upon the needs of the individual user.

FIGS. 1 to 3 show best the seat 32 as including a back support 80 and is adapted for pivotal movement about the horizontal axis A₁-A₁, so as to be movable between a forward, upright position shown in FIG. 2, and a rearward partially reclined position shown in FIG. 3. Preferably, in use of the machine 10, the seat 32 may be either locked in place, or alternatively may be freely swiveled. In one possible mode of operation, the seat 32 is swiveled upwardly in the direction of arrow 200 to the forward position (FIG. 2) when in the simultaneous operation of the lower body exercise assembly 16 and the upper body exercising assembly 18, the pivot bar 40 and vertically displaceable frame 50 are returned to their respective initial rest positions. As the user 12 activates the padded arm 46 and handle grips 46 a,46 b to move pivot bar 40 and frame 50 to their respective biased positions, the seat 32 pivots in the direction of arrow 300 to the reclined position of FIG. 3, allowing for more optimal positioning of the user's torso. The movement of the seat 32 during exercise advantageously allows the user 12 to achieve a ‘feel’ of full body involvement and better maintain a rhythmic pattern that would allow for increased repetitions of arm and leg exercises. Furthermore, the change in position of the seat 32 encourages proper body positioning, and more varied exercises between the upper body and lower body.

A locking mechanism 82 is provided to secure the seat 32 in either the fully reclined and/or fully upright position, as for example during respective lower and upper body isolated exercise. In particular, exercise machine 10 of FIGS. 1 to 3 advantageously allows the user 12 to sequentially alternate his arm and leg muscle exercises by the selective operation of the exercising frames 16,18. In such operation, the user 12 may lock the seat 32 in a desired position to perform repetitive isolating exercises targeting the upper and lower body. Most preferably, however, the machine 10 is operable to the user 12 concurrently performing upper and lower body exercises by simultaneously activating each exercising assembly 16,18. Preferably, however, the locking mechanism 82 is selectively operable to lock and release the seat 32 for pivotal movement by simultaneous upper and lower body exercise. In one simplified construction, the locking mechanism 82 includes a releasable latch 84 which is connected to the seat support 34, an actuator cable 86 coupled to the lower body exercising assembly 16, a release cable 88 coupled to the upper body exercising assembly 18 and a pneumatic or hydraulic cylinder 90. The cylinder 90 is preferably provided to resiliently bias the seat 32 to return to the fully upright position shown in FIG. 2. With this construction, the activation of the lower body exercising assembly 16 results in the activator cable 86 drawing the seat 32 towards the reclined position of FIG. 3 where it is engaged by the latch 84 and retained in place. As the upper body exercising assembly 18 is activated and the frame 50 fully lowered to its maximum displaced position, the release cable 88 releases the latch 84 resulting in the seat 34 being biased by the cylinder 90 to return to the upright position.

An advantage of the present invention resides in that the machine 10 is operable to maximize the user's ‘repetitions per visit’ as compared to traditional isolation strength training methods wherein users are encouraged to perform ‘continuous sets’, where repetitions targeting various muscle groups are performed without rest, until muscles are fatigued. As such, the user 12 may obtain an effective workout in a more time efficient manner. With the exercise machine 10, the flow of repetitions involving more than one muscle group, utilizing a resistance level for the upper body that may vary from the lower body, are not interrupted by the need to stop and reposition the pins 72 as exercises are performed. Furthermore, during exercise the user 12 may vary patterns that involve the entire body. In addition, the configuration of the machine 10 allows for the mixing up of repetitions by isolating, consecutive or simultaneous use of the lower body exercising assembly 16 and the upper body exercising assembly 18. This, in turn, makes the machine 10 more enjoyable and interactive, and less monotonous than conventional isolation exercises performed one station at a time.

FIGS. 2 and 3 show best a preferred mode of operation of the exercise machine 10 by the user 12, in achieving a toning exercise workout. To achieve optimal toning exercise of the user's abdominal muscle groups 106 concurrently with his leg and arm muscles, the user 12 first independently selects the desired degree of weight resistance to be provided by the weight stacks 60 a,60 b to each of the upper and lower body exercising assemblies 16,18. The desired degree of weight resistance is selected in a conventional manner, by inserting the pins 72 of each weight stack 60 a,60 b into engagement with the desired aperture 70 formed in each of the lift rods 66 a,66 b. The user 12 may simply select a lower weight for providing the resistive tension to the cable/pulley arrangement 24 and upper body exercising assembly 16 of the machine 10, by inserting release pin 72 in the desired aperture 70 of the stack 60 b. A greater number of weight plates 62 may be used to provide exercise resistance to the cable/pulley arrangement 22 in the lower body exercising assembly 18 by inserting release pin 72 into engagement with the selected plate 62 of the stack 60 a. The user 12 then assumes an initial forward facing upright position, seated on the seat 32, as shown in FIG. 2. In such a position, the front of the user's legs 102 are positionable in bearing contact with the padded arm 46, and the user 12 may reach above his head to grasp the handle grips 56 a,56 b of the frame member 50 with his hands.

In use of the machine 10, the pivot bar 40 is operable so as to be journaled in rotation about the pivot axis A_(p)-A_(p) by the engagement of the user's legs 102 against the padded arm 46, as they are extended or retracted in leg extensions.

To effect an exercising workout, the user 12 extends both of his legs 102 simultaneously outwardly and upwardly, pushing upwardly against the padded arm 46 of the pivot bar 40 and causing its rotation from the initial rest position together to the biased position. It is to be appreciated that the rotation of the pivot bar 40 effects the movement of the rotatable mount 44 to rotate about the axis A_(p)-A_(p) against the selected resistance force provided by the weight stack 60 a, as the cable/pulley 22 draws the rod 66 a upwardly to vertically raise the selected number of weight plates 62 of the stack 60 a. Concurrently with the extension of the user's legs 102, the user 12 reclines the seat 32 in the direction of arrow 300 to the rearward tilted position shown in FIG. 3. As the seat 32 and user 12 recline, the user 12 uses his arms 104 to pull downwardly on the frame assembly 50, effecting its movement from the initial raised rest position to the lowered biased position shown in phantom in FIG. 3. The movement of the frame member 50 downwardly occurs against the upper body resistance forces applied by the cable/pulley assembly 24 drawing the rod 66 b upwardly, to raise the user selected number of weight plates 62 of the weight stack 60 b. Once the pivot bar 40 and frame member 50 reach their respective maximum displaced positions, the pivot bar 40 and frame member 50 are then returned by the user 12 providing resistance against the return forces of respective weight stacks 60 a,60 b to their initial rest positions, and the cycle is then repeated. As the pivot bar 40 and frame member 50 are returned to their respective rest positions, the user 12 simultaneously tilts forwardly in the seat 32, causing its pivotal movement about axis A₁-A₁ in the direction of arrow 200 and returning it to the generally upright position. The applicant has appreciated that the concurrent exercising movement of the user's arms 104 and legs 102, in addition to strengthening the respective upper and lower muscle groups, advantageously also acts to exercise the user's bridging abdominal muscles 106. As a result, the user may obtain a faster, full body toning workout using comparatively lighter weights, as contrasted with the successive exercising of upper muscle groups followed by lower muscle groups in isolation.

In an alternate mode of exercise, with the movement of the pivot bar 40 and vertically displaceable frame member 50, the user 12 may fix the seat 32 in either an upright or inclined position against movement, preventing its pivotal movement.

An advantage of the present machine 10 exists in that it enables more than one exercise on the single machine 10, as for example consecutively or in an alternating regime, and which is not possible with conventional strength training gym equipment. Furthermore, the use of the machine 10 permits the user 12 to engage his or her body muscles more fully and permits a greater number of repetitions of exercise movement. As such, by exercising both upper and lower body muscle groups, the machine 10 may advantageously provide enhanced fat burning, without rapidly adding muscular bulk.

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention discloses a weight stack assembly 20 consisting of a pair of weight plate stacks 60 a,60 b as a preferred resistance mechanism, the invention is not so limited. It is to be appreciated that other types of resistance mechanisms are also envisioned, including resiliently deformable elastomeric members, as well as resiliently deformable bendable rods, and will now become apparent. Similarly, although FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate an exercise machine 10 having a vertically displaceable frame member 50 as being used to provide upper body exercise, and a selectively rotatable pivot bar 40 for lower body exercise, the invention is not so limited. FIGS. 6 and 7 show an alternate embodiment of an exercise machine 110 adapted for the simultaneous exercise movement of a user's upper and lower muscle groups, wherein like reference numerals are used to identify like components. In FIGS. 6 and 7 the exercise machine 110 includes an array of bendable rods 160 in place of the weight stack assembly for providing resistance to the upper and lower body exercising assemblies 16,18.

FIGS. 6 and 7 shows best the machine 110 as including a seat 32 which is provided in a fixed position partially inclined on the seating/support frame 14. Preferably, the seat 32 is provided in a fixed position with the seat back 80 inclined so as to support the user 12 in a position seated thereon with his or her spine inclined rearwardly at an angle of between about 0 and 60° from vertical. In place of the pivot bar 40 shown in FIG. 1, the machine 110 incorporates a lower body exercising assembly 16 which includes a movable foot frame 140 which is coupled for reciprocal pivotal movement to the base 30 in a generally downward curving arc of movement by way of a pivot pin 142. As shown best in FIG. 7, the foot frame 140 includes a generally planar foot plate 144 which is sized and positioned so as to be simultaneously engaged by both of the user's feet in the performance of leg press-type exercises, as the user's legs 102 are fully extended.

In place of the vertically displaceable frame member 50 (FIG. 1), the upper body exercising assembly 18 of the machine 110 includes a pair of cable operated hand pulleys 150 a,150 b. The hand pulleys 150 a,150 b are connected directly to a selected number of bendable rods 160 via the cable/pulley assembly 24, for use in effecting exercise movement of the user's arms 104. The machine 110 provides the desired degree of resistance to the movement of the upper and lower body exercising assemblies 16,18 by coupling or uncoupling a selected number of rods 160 to each cable/pulley assembly 22,24. The rods 160 may, for example, be configured similar to those found on the Bowflex™ exercise machines and provide resistance via the respective cable/pulley assemblies 22,24 to the movement of the foot frame 140 and hand pulleys 150 a,150 b.

In use of the exercise machine 110, the user 12 pre-selects the desired amount of resistance to be applied to the foot frame 140 and hand pulleys 150 a,150 b. Resistance is selected by coupling a selected number of bendable rods 160 to each cable/pulley assembly 22,24. The user 12 then assumes the position partially reclined on the seat 32 as shown in FIG. 7.

With the user's feet resting against the foot plate 144, the user 12 grips both hand pulleys 150 a,150 b. Exercising movement is effective by simultaneously performing leg presses against the foot plate 144 while pulling each of the hand pulleys 150 forward in the direction of arrows 400 a,400 b. The foot plate 144 and pulleys 150 a, 150 b are moved to the displaced biased positions shown in FIG. 7, with the user's leg fully extended forwardly in a generally straightened orientation, and his or her arms 104 are pulled forward of the user's abdomen. Thereafter, the user 12 permits the foot frame 140 and hand pulleys 150 a,150 b to return in the reverse direction to the rest position by the return bias of the bendable rods 160, and the cycle is thereafter repeated.

By the use of the machine 110, the foot plate 144 is thus operable to exercise quadricep muscles of the user's right and left legs in substantially unified movement and leg muscle exercise may be achieved concurrently while the user 12 activates the hand pulleys 150 a,150 b against the resistance of the rods 160 to exercise the upper and lower body muscles, as well as achieving exercising movement of the abdominal muscles 106 as well. Simultaneously, with the user's feet engaging the foot plate, the user extends his or her legs in unified movement to move the foot plate 144 from the initial rest position to the second displaced position against the resistance provided by the rods 160.

As with the first embodiment, as the exercise machine 110 is adapted for toning exercise, as contrasted with weight training exercise, with upper and lower muscle groups exercised concurrently. The applicant has appreciated that the machine may be provided with comparatively lower number of bendable rods 160 than those found in conventional strength training equipment. The applicant has appreciated that as a result, the exercise machine 110 may be made more inexpensively and with an overall reduced size, occupying comparatively less floor space than separate conventional exercise machines adapted to independently achieve upper and lower body leg exercises.

FIG. 8 shows schematically a modified exercise machine 110 in which like reference numerals are used to identify like components. In FIG. 8, the exercise machine 110 incorporates a weight stack assembly 20 similar to that described with reference to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 as a resistance mechanism in place of the array of bendable rods 160. With the embodiment shown, individual weight stacks 60 a,60 b are coupled respectively via the cable/pulley assemblies 22,24 to the foot frame 140 and hand pulleys 150 a,150 b to provide the desired degree of resistance.

The weight stack assembly 20 of FIG. 8 similarly enables the user 12 to sit at the exercise machine 110 and alternately and/or sequentially perform arm and leg exercises. In an alternate possible mode of use, the user 12 may choose to repeatedly alternate leg and arm exercises for muscle endurance training, without having to interrupt the flow by having to reposition the pins 72.

The applicant has appreciated that the construction of the present exercise machine and its method of use provide various advantages over conventional strength training apparatus. With the present invention, the user 12 utilizes his or her whole body by engaging the upper body, lower body and midsection muscles during exercise. With such upper body and lower body muscle exercise, the user 12 also exercises and utilizes the user's back and abdominal muscles more often than traditional equipment.

Although the detailed description describes and illustrates various preferred embodiments, the invention is not so limited. Many modifications and variations will now occur to persons skilled in the art. For a definition of the invention, reference may be had to the appended claims. 

1. An exercise apparatus for providing toning exercising movement of a user's upper and lower body muscle groups, the apparatus including, a seat for supporting the user in a seated position thereon, a lower frame assembly actuable to exercise leg muscles of said user, the lower frame assembly being selectively reciprocally movable from a first rest position to a second displaced position, and including a leg support having support surfaces which are engageable by a portion of both of said user's legs or feet, whereby engagement of the support surfaces by said user's legs or feet as said user's legs are symmetrically extended or retracted together in unison moves the lower frame assembly between said first rest and second displaced positions, a first resistance mechanism coupled to said lower frame assembly and operable to selectively vary resistance to movement of the lower frame assembly, an arm exercising assembly actuable to exercise arm muscles of said user, said arm exercising assembly including at least one reciprocally movable member, the at least one reciprocally movable member being reciprocally movable by the engagement of at least one of said user's arms or hands between an initial rest position and a subsequent displaced position, a second resistance mechanism coupled to said arm exercising assembly and operable to selectively vary resistance to movement of said arm exercising assembly independently from said first resistance mechanism, whereby said lower frame assembly and said arm exercising assembly are selectively operable in at least one of simultaneous or alternating sequential movement, a first pulley system mechanically coupling the lower frame assembly and the first resistance mechanism, and a second pulley system mechanically coupling the arm exercising assembly and the second resistance mechanism.
 2. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said lower frame assembly and said arm exercising assembly are selectively operable in both simultaneous and alternating sequential movement.
 3. The exercise apparatus of claim 2 wherein said first resistance mechanism is selected from the group consisting of a user selectable array of vertically displaceable weight plates, an array of resiliently deformable elastomeric members, and an array of resiliently deformable bendable rods.
 4. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said arm exercising assembly comprises a pivotally movable upper frame and a pair of generally horizontally spaced hand grips mounted to said upper frame and positioned for gripping by said user, said hand grips being selectively reciprocally movable between a first position spaced a first vertical distance from said seat when said arm exercising assembly is in said initial rest position, and a second position moved vertically from said first position when said arm exercising assembly is in said displaced position.
 5. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first resistance mechanism is selected to provide a maximum leg resistance force selected less than about 300 lbs, preferably less than 250 lbs, and said second resistance mechanism is selected to provide a maximum arm resistance force of less than about 200 lbs, preferably less than 150 lbs.
 6. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 5 wherein the lower frame assembly is actuable to perform leg presses, in said first rest position said support surface assumes a position spaced towards said seat at a proximal location selected to be engageable by said user's feet with said user's legs in a partially bent orientation, and in said second displaced position said support surface being moved to a distal location selected to be engageable by said user's feet with said user's legs in a fully extended orientation.
 7. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 4 wherein said seat is positionable in a partially inclined orientation selected to support said user seated thereon during exercise of said arm muscles with said user's spine inclined at an angle of between about 10 and 60° from vertical.
 8. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 7 wherein said seat is pivotable about a substantially horizontal axis between said partially inclined orientation, and a substantially upright orientation selected to support said user in the seated position thereon during exercise of said leg muscles with said user's spine aligned in a generally vertical orientation.
 9. An exercise apparatus for simultaneous toning of a user's arm, abdominal and leg muscles including, a seat for supporting the user in a forward facing seated position, a lower frame assembly actuable to provide exercising movement to said user's leg muscles, the lower frame assembly being reciprocally movable between a first rest position and a second displaced position, and including a leg support positioned for simultaneous symmetrical engagement by each of said user's legs and feet with said user's legs in substantially juxtaposed unison alignment, the leg support being actuable in movement by movement of said user's legs between extended and retracted positions to move the lower frame assembly between said first and second displaced positions, a first resistance mechanism coupled to said lower frame assembly and actuable to selectively vary resistance to movement of the lower frame assembly, an upper body exercising assembly actuable to provide exercising movement to said user's arm muscles, said upper body exercising assembly including at a reciprocally movable member which is movable by said user's arms between an initial rest position and a subsequent displaced position, a second resistance mechanism coupled to said arm exercising member and operable to selectively vary resistance to movement of said arm exercising assembly independently from said first resistance mechanism, and wherein said exercise apparatus comprises a free standing unitary workstation having a sub-frame, each of said lower frame assembly, said upper body exercising assembly and said first and second resistance mechanisms being coupled to said sub-frame.
 10. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 9 further including a first pulley system mechanically coupling the lower frame assembly to said first resistance mechanism, and a second pulley system mechanically coupling the upper body exercising assembly to the second resistance mechanism.
 11. The exercise apparatus of claim 10 wherein each of the first and second resistance mechanisms comprise a user selectable stacked array of vertically displaceable weight plates.
 12. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said arm exercising assembly further includes a pivotally movable upper frame, said pair of hand grips being coupled to said upper frame in a substantially horizontally aligned orientation when said arm exercising assembly is in said initial rest position, said hand grips being spaced a first vertical distance above said seat, and when said arm exercising assembly is in said subsequent displaced position said hand grips being moved vertically therefrom to a relocated position spaced a second vertical distance above the seat.
 13. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said unitary workstation comprises a portable workstation, and wherein said first resistance mechanism is operable to provide a range of resistance forces selected less than a maximum of about 250 lbs, and said second resistance mechanism is operable to provide a range of resistance forces selected less than a maximum of about 150 lbs.
 14. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein said seat includes a seat back positionable in a first partially inclined orientation selected to support said user during exercise of said arm muscles and leg muscles with said user's spine inclined at an angle of between about 10 and 60° from vertical, and a second substantially upright orientation selected to support said user seated thereon with said user's spine aligned in a generally upright orientation.
 15. An exercise apparatus for providing simultaneous toning exercising movement of a user's arm, abdominal and leg muscle groups, the apparatus including, a seat for supporting the user in a seated position thereon, a leg exercising assembly actuable to exercise quadriceps, hip or glutius muscles of said user's right and left legs in substantially unified movement, and including a leg support which is engageable by both of said user's legs and/or feet, said leg support being selectively reciprocally movable from a first rest position to a second displaced position, whereby engagement of the leg support by said user's legs and/or feet as said user's legs are moved together in symmetrical movement actuates the leg support in movement between said first rest and second displaced positions, a first resistance mechanism coupled to said lower frame assembly and operable to selectively vary resistance to movement of the leg support, an arm exercising assembly actuable to exercise arm muscles of said user's right and left arms in substantially unified movement, said arm exercising assembly including a pair of hand grips which in the activation of the arm exercising assembly are reciprocally movable by engagement of said user's arms and/or hands between an initial rest position and a subsequent displaced position, a second resistance mechanism coupled to said arm exercising assembly and operable independently from said first resistance mechanism to selectively vary resistance to movement of said hand grips, and whereby said leg exercising assembly and said arm exercising assembly are operable simultaneously to move said leg support from said first rest position to said second displaced position while said hand grips move from said initial rest position to said subsequent displaced position.
 16. The exercise apparatus of claim 15 further including a first pulley system mechanically coupling the leg exercising assembly to the first resistance mechanism, and a second pulley system mechanically coupling the arm exercising assembly to the second resistance mechanism, each of said first and second resistance mechanisms being selected from the group consisting of a user selectable array of vertically displaceable weight plates, and an array of resiliently deformable bendable rods.
 17. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein said arm exercising assembly further includes a pivotally movable upper frame, said pair of hand grips being coupled to said upper frame at substantially horizontally aligned positions spaced vertically above said seat, wherein in said initial rest position, said hand grips being spaced a first distance above said seat, and in said subsequent displaced position being vertically spaced therefrom.
 18. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein said apparatus comprises a unitary stand-alone workout station, said first resistance mechanism being operable to provide a range of resistance forces selected less than a maximum of about 250 lbs, and said second resistance mechanism being operable to provide a range of resistance forces selected less than a maximum of about 150 lbs.
 19. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 17 wherein the leg exercising assembly includes a movable lower frame member, said leg support being coupled to said lower frame member for reciprocal movement therewith and actuable by said user to perform leg extensions.
 20. The exercise apparatus as claimed in claim 19 wherein said seat includes a seat back positionable in a first partially inclined orientation selected to support said user seated thereon during exercise of said arm muscles with said user's spine inclined at an angle of between about 10 and 40° from vertical, and a second substantially upright orientation selected to support said user seated thereon during exercise of said leg muscles with said user's spine aligned in a generally upright orientation. 